Istanbul Airport

✅ Trip Verified | I couldn't get a boarding pass for my connecting flight due to the amount of time between the flights because Turkish Airlines decided to change one of my flights. I was kept in the transit area for over 12 hours with no access to or any proper seating area. I had to plead with the people at the desk to give me a boarding pass so that I could go through security.

Not Verified | There's not much good to say about this airport. Despite its size, there was almost no seating or charging stations. Finally I had to visit a very overpriced and mediocre restaurant for a chance to rest my legs (without having to sit on the floor like so many others). What finally made me decide to write this review was the extremely rude check-in staff who mocked me for not having all my papers ready, and then complained that I took too long while searching for them using the barely working airport wi-fi.

✅ Trip Verified | I was there while in transit, the first thing is that the people at this airport are the rudest I have ever seen when upon asking about free internet. They said they knew nothing and pretended not to speak English, being an international airport people need to have some basic language skills to assist passengers but no. There were plenty of eateries but no water refills, what a disappointment, prepare to buy bottle and water ditch your empty bottles.

✅ Trip Verified | Worst customer service ever. I have travelled to many countries but haven’t seen such customer service. We had a connecting flight and had a 3 hour stay which turned into a 3 day stay. They don’t help at all. The staff at the airport don’t know a single English word and expect people to understand Turkish. We walked for days and nobody was ready to help or at least guide us. We had 2 patients with us but they didn’t care whatsoever. The staff are rude and don’t even talk nicely.

✅ Trip Verified | Airport assistance - rude and very unpleasant. The airport assistance for people with low/reduce mobility is chaos, we were treated badly at all time. You spoke to them and they did not answer you or they yelled at you angrily, the man from the information point behind the Hermes store who assisted me on the night of 04/04 at 6.30 am should not work in customer service and even less with older people, treating them poorly, hurting their feelings and dignity. A total disaster.

Not Verified | An unnecessary huge airport. After landing, flight took 25 minutes to reach the gate. Turkish Airlines flight disembarkation was a shambles. No COVID protection measures. Very rude and ignorant airport staff. No-one speaks English or they pretend not to so as not to help. Plenty of shops and eateries but very expensive and aggressive customer service. Nowhere to sit. You have to walk miles for connecting flights and the exit. A horrible airport experience. Avoid.

Not Verified | Very spacious with lots of shops and restaurants. However there is much more to be done to make passengers more comfortable. I have been travelling back and forth every 2 months for almost 2 years now, the most striking feature is that no one speaks any other language than Turkish and we are talking about an international airport here! Staff are not helpful at all they are rude and become aggressive very easily. They pretend they understand what you say only to send you off to another person who in turn will send you off to another person. And this is how you end up walking this huge airport back and forth for hours! They change flight times and gates at their leisure. A few months back I had missed my plane because of their last minute rescheduling, at the info desk there was a (very) pregnant lady who had not only missed her connection flight but for some reason had one of her children stuck somewhere in another gate or something. Another guy had missed his flight to his wedding (one flight/week). About the signs: maybe you should update your signalling: after covid many of the exits are now closed. So you might see a "cikis" (exit) sign, only to find out that it is closed and that you need to go somewhere else. A very frustrating airport! My advice: avoid this airport if you can!

✅ Trip Verified | The transit procedure for passengers coming from an international to a domestic flight could be better explained. The signage, although plentiful is a bit vague and confusing. The transit immigration and check-in counters for international to domestic flights is near the end of the arrival’s concourse. Covid-19 Note: Check with your airline/s about current documentation requirements for travel into and around Turkey. Once through immigration, there are only a few restaurants and shops open in the transit area due to pandemic restrictions. Everything we saw was “covid clean” and shiny, as you would expect from this brand-new airport. Bear in mind that it might take you up to 15 minutes (even with the moving walkways) to get to the gate for your connecting flight.

Not Verified | The airport is huge but not recommended for long hours of rest. Free Wifi for 1 hour. People are sitting on the ground, no free hot or cold water. Airport staff pretend to understand English, but don't.

✅ Trip Verified | This is a huge modern airport, very clean, following all the COVID rules, with hand sanitizer everywhere etc.. Unfortunately, in this gigantic airport there is no consideration for passenger comfort, and barely any seating is provided. The result is that passengers are obliged to sit close together even on the seats clearly marked for social distancing. Where do you expect them to wait, as there’s nothing else available? There are people sitting on the floor everywhere, even sleeping on the bare tiles. It’s shameful that such a new airport with all the mod cons not provide comfortable seats for the passengers in transit. Turkish Airlines clearly wants people to sit and spend money in the airport restaurants, which explains why they don’t provide any seating.